The Arrangement
by jimfinitemoriarty
Summary: In order to create and keep peace between the Candy Kingdom and the Nightosphere, Prince Gumball has agreed with his council to an arranged marriage. But, the heir of Hanna Abadeer is not who Barnaby expected, no, not at all. (Originally uploaded on my archiveofourown account)
1. The Start of it All

The Candy Kingdom was a bright and sugary land with it's citizens quite content with being civil and minding their business. In the center of this was the castle of which their leader, Prince Barnaby Gumball, resided.

He truly loved his kingdom and people, which is why he was agreeing to this in the first place. He repeated that as a mantra for a few moments, until his council sent him off to plan renovations for his room.

As he began going through his wardrobe for things he could discard for space, a familiar blonde bounced into the room without knocking. Trailing behind her was her faithful companion, Cake.

"Oh! Hello, Fionna." He nodded towards her in acknowledgement, then went back to what he had been doing.

"H-hey, man." She blushed slightly. "Whatcha up to?"

"Spring cleaning, so to speak." He said. "I've to make room for another wardrobe." He sighed, stopping and pulling her over to sit down on his bed with him. "Fionna..I'm to be married soon." After a rather long silence, Barnaby cleared his throat. "Ahem."

"What the lumpin' math?! But.. why? I mean.." Fi had her self flustered to the brim, caught between jealousy and a reminder that she had a certain flame boy to worry about, not Gumball.

"I have to, for the best interest of my people. They need to be assured that peace will always live in our land. Unfortunately, it hasn't for the past few weeks. Creatures from the Nightosphere have been attacking my citizens, so the council has decided on me marrying to ward them off."

"Who is it?" She asked, her stomach flipping for some reason. This topic gave her a weird feeling. Cake must of agreed, for her hair stood on all ends, seemingly alert.

"The only heir of Ms. Hanna Abadeer. She is a very ruthless woman, so I imagine my advisors believe me and her child's marriage will strike fear into the hearts of many evil doers." The prince grinned and stood, unaware of the adventuress' jaw dropping.

"I bet she'll be stunning. A true beauty, as people tell me her mother is." He grabbed the royal marriage license and folded it, placing it carefully into a manilla folder within his satchel.

"Oh,_ he_ certainly thinks so." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing..I j-just said I think I should go! Yes, that'd be best. I mean Flame Prince is probably looking for me. Uh..BYE!" She ran out, Cake in her arms.

"Weird."

* * *

The Nightosphere was undoubtly very terrifying, especially to the Candy prince what with his weak stomach. But he kept telling himself that anything out there as he walked through fire practically, wasn't as scary as The Abadeers. As he made it to their residence without his sugary skin bubbling, he took a deep breath and knocked ever so slightly on the chipping blue door. He rocked back on his heels, waiting patiently.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and there stood- well hovered, a boy no older than 19. His skin was a pale grey-blue, almost glowing. It contrasted well with his turquoise orbs and wet raven locks that draped ever so slightly over pointed ears.

Water droplets dripped off his nose and onto the scowl plastered across his face. Barnaby shook himself out of his trance and realized he was probably waiting for the prince to announce himself. "Uh..I'm here to see Ms. Hanna Abadeer."

"Oh, you're one of _them_." The boy turned around gracefully afloat, and it was only then that Gumball realized he was naught but in a pair of ashen boxers. "Gross, ma. I didn't know you were into twinks! Blegh."

Gumball frowned. What was a twink? And did he think he wanted to _see _Ms. Abadeer? Oh glob.

"I'm not _you_, Marsh." She coughed, hiding her slip of the tongue from the oblivious sugar boy. "Ah, Prince Gumball. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintence finally. Please, come inside. I'm sure I have papers to sign?"

He entered the house, passing the still scowling teen. _Who was he? And why couldn't he be decent infront of such royalty?!_ But as soon as the thought arose, he was gone.

Hanna sat down in a blindingly bright white chair, crossing her legs promptly. He took the seat across from her, in a chair almost identical, only red. "You'll have to excuse the furniture. Marshall got a little hungry."

Pushing his curiousity on exactly who this 'Marshall' was, back down into the crevices of his mind, he took the parchments out of his bag. "Here you are. But if you don't mind Ms. Abadeer-"

"Call me Hanna."

He smiled nervously as she took the paper and skimmed through it quickly. Finding everything in order, she swiftly signed her elegant script along the dotted line. ".._Hanna_, I would like to meet your daughter before we bring her back to the castle."

The air quickly became so thick you could slice through it. "Daughter?" Her lips pursed.

"Yes, the one I'm supposed to be marrying."

"Oh! Dear, there seems to be a misunderstanding." Down the stairs came the older boy again, wearing tight navy jeans and a red plaid button up.

"You see, Marshall is the one you'll be marrying." She gestured towards the floating teen.

Their eyes locked instantly.

"WHAT?!"


	2. You're Making a Fuss out of Us

The elder boy- Marshall, he reminded himself- was fuming. He had been for the past five minutes while his mother just sat there idly sipping a cup of tea. Every now and again he would pause and she'd scoff at his words. Gumball sat there, awkward and introverted, waiting for the raging to be over. He was beginning to get a rather large headache and he silently prayed to just go home and pretend this never occurred. Finally at a loss of words, the vampire heir looked at his mother for some kind of rebuttal.

"Are you done?"

His face twisted into a childish pout, his rose colored bottom lip sticking out promptly. "..yeah."

"I'm glad. Now," She grabbed his ear, pulling him in close to her stern face. "You **will **marry this nice boy here. I believe in our legacy as ruthless _rulers_, so if you refuse to take over for me, you need to keep royal blood, so to speak." Her voice lowered. "It's what your father would have wanted."

The teen's eyes glistened, and Gumball's heart softened at the sight. But it faded quickly as he glowered and stormed towards the prince. He grabbed his hand.

"Let's go, Gumwad."

* * *

After being retrieved by a royal coach, the soon to be newlyweds road back to the castle in silence. Occasionally one of them would make glances at the other, but that was really all. Barnaby didn't think he could handle it if this was to be the rest of their marriag- Gah. What? Why would he care if they didn't talk? It's not like this would ever become more than a business arrangement. Marshall was a boy for glob's sake.

Wait a minute..

_Damn it, Fionna._

* * *

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Marshall bolted. "See ya, your hiney-ness." He then proceeded to float off in the direction of Fionna's residence, his scary weapon/instrument slung across his back and a black umbrella in hand. Gumball sighed, very put off by the vampire. As he climbed out and made it towards the steps of the castle, Peppermint Maid ran out the doors. "Your majesty, I do hope that miscreant that just left isn't a friend of your wife to be." She looked at him, appearing slightly frightened.

He sighed. "Unfortunately, Peppermint, that um..well, _miscreant- _is my uh, _blushing bride."_

The hard candy's expression became that of astonishment. "There, well there must be a mistake sire. Your council..they said-"

"..that I would marry Ms. Abadeer's only heir."

"Oh glob." A hand flew over her heart. "May he save us all."

* * *

Marshall Lee flew into Fionna's house unannounced. Her and Cake were playing Beemo, jumping as he floated in front of them. "What the crud, Marsh! You scared us. And that's not easy to do.."

"Sorry Fi, but..you'll never _GUESS_ what just happened to me!"

"You're getting married?" She offered.

"Yeah! Like what? And-"

"They're a prince."

"Mhm, and you won't believe it. It's-"

"Prince Gumball."

"Okay..Fionna..you're scaring _me _now." Marshall said, no longer levitating. His tattered converse rubbed the wood floor shyly. "How'd you know?"

She smiled weakly. "PG's my friend. He told me about it this morning."

He growled. "He knew?!" He muttered expletive after expletive under his breath. "Why didn't he call it off then?"

"Oh..well, he kinda believed you were a girl. Heh.."

Marshall was silent for awhile. Fionna looked to his face for any sign of emotion, but there was none.

"You..you knew FiFi. And you didn't fucking _**tell me?!"**_

"Well..the nightosphere is pretty far..and flame prince wanted-"

"You left your best friend to marry a conceited stick of bubblegum, while you go play kissy kissy with your boyfriend? Ugh, way to go man." He flew out.

Fionna sighed. Cake rubbed her arm reassuringly. "Well..that went well, huh?"

* * *

"Finally! I tried to hold the staff off for as long as I could. I didn't know when you'd be back for dinner time. It was awfully rude to run out on me like that.." Gumball rambled on as the vampire slipped through the palace doorway. When he reached the table, he found a bowl of mixed red berries. Blushing slightly, he met the prince's eyes. "How'd ya know I eat red?"

"Your mother told me. She gave me a list of things I should know."

Marshall frowned. It made him seem like a pet the royal was watching while his mother was on vacation. How typical of her. She couldn't even let him handle his own love life- uh, business affairs. After shaking that thought away, he bit into one of the raspberries. It was delicious, and that made him smile slightly. Whoever had picked them obviously was very meticulous about such things..

His eyes flashed back to the prince, checking him over. His eyes were a light lavender, and his teeth were as straight as an arrow. He had this way of carrying himself, even doing something as casual as eating, that was rigid and stiff. Marshall wondered if it was a side effect of his royalty, or if he was an all around cold person. Sure, that's what he'd always thought when he heard of him and his dumb sugar balls or hootenanny's or whatever, but..

It all seemed different when he was right in front of him. He was shiny, or at least his hair was, under the sunshine lights within the dining hall. He was an iridescent pink, with long butterfly lashes and a smooth chin. His femininity seemed to contrast well with the vampire. For here he was, with his unruly dark black waves, and even darker eyes rimmed with crimson that ran up and down the prince's form. His pale face and strong nose with a defined chin said that of the epitome of male.

Well, scratch the hair.

Blinking, the King looked away, realizing he had been checking the other royal out. Prince Gumball, completely unaware, went on eating his baked flounder. He wondered though, if the king was enjoying his meal he had prepared for him. But glancing up would mean meeting the gray male's eyes, and that..most certainly, was out of the question.

* * *

Later that evening, the pink man and his soon to be husband walked around the castle, the younger giving a tour. To be honest, Marshall was only half listening, the other half of him watching the prince become so animated over his palace.

It was odd, seeing someone so excited about their home. The vampire only tolerated living with his mother, and the tree house before Fionna came along never had him jumping for joy. He was more of a keep moving, kind of guy, never staying in one place for too long.

So now that he was practically forced to settle down, it wouldn't be easy adjusting. Not to mention, the place _reeked _of sweets. Granted, it was a _candy _castle, but nonetheless, it bothered him greatly.

But he put up with it as the passed room after room, stopping every so often for a _lively _chat about the history of frosting or gumdrops or _something. _He began floating, for the fear of his legs developing ADHD from the boring atmosphere and running away came to mind.

Gumball paused his speech for a moment, eyes on the upside down lad. "Why do you walk, Marshall?" He asked out of the blue. Marshall's face twisted slightly in confusion.

"Huh?"

"I just meant, if you can float, why walk?"

_oh. _"Well.." He debated on whether or not to give a truthful answer. "It..it makes me still..sort of retain my once mortal self, I guess." He almost whispered, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. He hated that, the fact that certain people could see right through him. His mother, Fionna, and now..it seems, the prince. He floated right side up, rubbing his arm and smirking to mask his emotion. "Anyway, isn't it getting late, Gum-for-brains?" He felt a tad bad for the insult, but it always empowered him and masked the hurt a lot better than nicety.

Barnaby frowned. "Yes, I suppose it is."

* * *

After readying for bed, the Prince trudged over to the couch now living in his remodeled quarters, blanket in hand. "You may sleep on my bed, Marshall Lee. I will take the couch." He patted it, grinning, although he was dreading the kinks his necks would probably receive by morning.

The Vampire King eyed him skeptically. "Nah, it's fine, man. I'll sleep there."

"Really it's OK-"

"I'm fine dude. I've slept on couches before."

"You're a guest." The prince was beginning to become miffed. He laid his blanket down.

"So?"

"So..I insist." He gestured towards the king sized bed.

Marshall glowered. "Well _insist _somewhere else, _Barnaby." _He spat.

Gumball huffed and stomped towards his bed, climbing in and turning his back on the king. On the other side of the room Marshall did the same thing, pulling the blanket tightly around his pale body, despite not feeling cold. "Pompous ass." He muttered.

A cotton candy pillow whacked him upside the head.

_This was going to be a long night.._


	3. Softening Up

Upon waking, Marshall became aware of three things. One, he wasn't home. Two, after rubbing his chin, he realized he was due for a good shave. And three of course, every. little. thing. was. PINK.

Strutting out of the bathroom came the Prince of Aaa, smiling brightly with those stupid pearly whites of his. ___I could flash mine too, buster, _he thought, everything coming back to him at once. This in turn made him groan in agony. If last night was as bad as he remembered, why was the prince so happy?

"Good Morning Marshall Lee!" He stated, his irritating button nose sticking into the vampires face.

Grumbling, the elder pulled the pillow over his face. "Go away."

The younger pouted. "I can't. It's time for breakfast and I'm sure you're hungry. But if you're going to be so hostile, I could just leave you to fend for yourself."

His ears perked. ___Breakfast? _ He peeked out from under the cushion, looking quite odd to the other royal. His hair stuck out at all angles and one blue eye bore up at him. "I..well I suppose I could use a little somethin'." His stomach growled in reply, so he let out a small chuckle. "Okay, maybe a lotta somethin'."

Gumball held in a giggle. He had to admit, in this moment Marshall was..adorable. After tucking that thought away, he grabbed the other's pale hand. "To the dining hall."

* * *

Lee was starting to believe it was to become a habit of his, reading the Prince like a map as they ate. Today he noticed that his eyes crinkle when he dislikes something, and that he brushes with spearmint toothpaste. If he sniffs hard enough, he might just find a trace of it left under the mask of cranberry oatmeal. Mentally noting that Gumball was nearly finished with his bowl, the vampire looked down to devour his. Fortunately, the cook threw in a ridiculous amount of the fruit within his dish, which hid the awful clump of earthy poison. After draining the deep rose from their crevices, he slid the bowl away with a sliver of hope that the royal would forgive his awful etiquette. Human food didn't really agree with him. At least.. in this case.

Barnaby looked up from his meal, catching eyes with the gray-blue male. He immediately flushed, glancing away.

"So..what do you do for fun around 'ere?" Marshall Lee said after awhile, breaking their awkward silence.

"Well..sometimes I go for walks around the castle, or I fiddle around in my laboratory-"

___"..boring.."_

"-Or I visit my library. But, if I ever have a break, I reside in my music room to practice piano-"

"Whoa whoa whoa. YOU have a ___music room?!"_

The prince snorted. "I am skilled in many arts, Marshall Lee." He took a deep breath, calculating his words carefully. "We have to go over simple wedding negotiations today. I promise it's nothing too strenuous. After all, it won't be a huge celebration. Just some legal matters to attend to, but.." He bit his lip. The vampire nodded, urging him to go on. "Maybe..sometime we could, perhaps, play in there for awhile. As long as it is run past my advisers first that we are not to be interrupted."

"Oh Gum-Gum, you cheeky thing."

* * *

Marshall Lee Abadeer had never been more bored in his entire lifetime. Listening to a bunch of stuffy old sourpusses was not high on his list of a good time. They droned on an on about how ___oh, Marshall you mustn't do this! _and ___Bloodsucker, you most definitely better not do this! _He was a thousand year old vampire for Glob's sake, not a child!

A warm pink hand rested on his shoulder, bringing him out of his tirade within his mind. He glanced over at the younger, suprised at the gesture. In that moment, he could feel Gumball's heartbeat thumping erraticly despite his calm structure and his firm grasp. ___It must not be easy for the prince to give up his life for his kingdom._ It made Marshall almost feel..bad. Because of his royal blood, he was giving up the chance at happiness. All for stuck up, narcissistic pricks.

But, he supposed he was doing the same thing.

* * *

Later on when all was said and done, the two boys wanted nothing more than to retire to their bedroom. It was exhausting having to keep up appearances. But Marshall was simply being selfish. Barnaby went through this every day for eighteen years. The vampire would just have to suck it up and get used to it.

"Marshall Lee, come here at once!"

___Shit, what'd I do now?_

When he entered the bathroom, or ___powder room _as Gumball refered to it as, he was met with an overwhelming waft of cinnamon. "W-what's this?" He asked, pointing lamely towards the bubbling bath water.

The prince grinned. "Peppermint Maid put on a bath for you. I always like sink into one of these after a hard day. It's quite relaxing." He handed the elder a crisp towel, promptly leaving the room.

Turning as red as a tomato, Marshall shut the door to begin stripping. The thought of getting naked while on the other was in earshot felt awkward, but he'd have to deal with it, he supposed.

Dropping his boxers to the floor, he entered the walk in bath. It was incredibly warm and inviting, so he sunk in all the way to his nose. Feeling a bit playful, he blew a few of the bubbles around. ___Man, this is nice. How long has it been since I've had a nice wash?_

Grabbing one of the slightly less feminine smelling shampoos, he opened and dumped it upon his kinky waves. After rubbing it in and sinking below the water several times, he decided to just sit for awhile.

Leaning his head back, he let his mind travel to simpler times. Like when he was a much younger vampire, and he had gotten lost. Now, that doesn't sound like a thrilling adventure, does it? The plus side was he was far from his mother, and he just so happened to stumble upon a strawberry field.

He remembered his eyes lit like christmas trees. He had struck gold!

Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end. His mother eventually found him, and he was given a harsh scolding. His father was already dead by then, so there was no one to slow his mother's reign.

___Well, that killed the mood, _he thought sourly. He rose and floated out, wrapping the towel around his waist. Sighing, he realized his clothes were in the other room. So he flew quickly from the bathroom to the closet, hoping Gumball wouldn't lecture him on indecency. His dirty clothes were soon forgotten on the tile floor.

Once dressed, Marshall floated back into the bedroom, looking around for the prince. His confused expression soon turned to one of awe as he found the ruler sprawled across the Vampire's bed. He picked him up carefully, as not to wake him, and carried him to his bed. Laying him down and covering him with his quilts, he felt satisfied.

He headed back over to his designated sleeping area, flopping on the cushions lazily. ___Maybe tonight I'll actually get some sleep._

As if Glob himself read Marshall Lee's thoughts, Barnaby let out a large snore.

___Ugh._


End file.
